The present invention pertains to a golf bag, comprising a bottom part, a cylinder part with stabilizing longitudinal webs, a head part, a support device with a toggle lever mechanism or another mechanism and a clamping system for folding out and folding in support legs and with a pull-out grip as well as with a belt system, which combines in itself all components for stable standing, for rolling, for sloped support for carrying on the shoulder or on the back and for transport in the lying or upright position without additional actions on the part of the golfer.
Many different embodiments of golf bags with various advantages have been known. For example, golf bags have been known which are to be carried on the shoulder with a belt and tilt over easily or are labile on standing when put down on the ground. Attempts are made to overcome this shortcoming by means of stabilizing parts in the body of the golf bag, as a result of which the bags have a considerable weight.
A double belt system for golf bags, which makes it possible to pickup the golf bag like a backpack over the back, has also been known from EP 0461243 B1. However, the belt system is suitable only for carrying the golf bag and does not make it possible in itself either to roll the bag over the golf course or to put it down in a suitable position.
There are also golf bags that have a support device which is released by means of a lever mechanism at the head part. The support legs arranged outside on the golf bag must be folded out and folded in and transported on the shoulder each time there is a change in place. These golf bags cannot be rolled, either.
A support device has also been known from DE 43 27 289 C2 in which the support legs are folded in automatically by taking up the belts and they are folded out again on relieving the belts during a change in place. The folding in and out of the support legs is triggered in this support device by a folding mechanism arranged on the bottom part of the golf bag. When the golf bag is put down, the folding mechanism is pressed onto the bottom of the bag, as a result of which the support legs fold out. When the golf bag is picked up, the folding mechanism is released from the bottom and the support legs are again in contact with the golf bag. This technique is delicate and leads to increased weight of the golf bag due to the necessary structure. With both of these support devices, the golf bags must be carried on the shoulder, which may be difficult especially for elderly golfers.
To eliminate this problem, various chassis or carts have been developed, on which the golf bags can be transported. These off-road vehicles are heavy and bulky. For transportation in the automobile, they require complicated packaging operations and a considerable amount of space beside the golf bag, e.g., in the trunk of an automobile.
A golf bag with an off-road chassis integrated with the golf bag and with a pull-out grip has also been known from WO 97/29809. The design requires much time for assembly and taking apart, considerable skill and has a heavy weight, which is again problematic during loading and unloading in and from an automobile.
The object of the present invention is therefore to develop a golf bag which combines in itself all the properties for stable standing, rolling, sloped support, carrying on the shoulder or on the back and for transportation in the lying or upright position as needed without additional actions on the part of the golfer, is easy to handle, can be transported in a compact form and eliminates the above-described drawbacks of the state of the art.
According to the invention, a golf bag is provided with a cylinder part, which is in turn detachably connected to a rollable bottom part, on the one hand, and to a head part, on the other hand. This construction makes possible easy assembly and easy disassembly due to a screw connection. Due to the parts of the golf bag being screwed together, the golf bag becomes able to be repaired, which saves time in the case of the replacement of individual worn or defective parts of the golf bag and above all saves costs.
The dimensionally stable bottom part of the golf bag has off-road wheels and occasionally additionally a support foot, which guarantee the easy rolling of the golf bag in case of change of place and its putting down vertically in a stable manner entirely without additional actions together with the pull-out grip arranged at the head part of the golf bag. Furthermore, a support device arranged at the head part makes it possible to put down the golf bag in a sloped position, where the releasing of the support device by the belt system arranged on the cylinder part of the golf bag or by another release mechanism makes it possible to eliminate the need for additional actions for folding in the support legs. Thus, the golf bag according to the present invention makes it possible to put down the golf bag in a vertical position, to roll it in case of a change of place, to put it down in a sloped position, and to carry it on the shoulder or on the back or to transport it in a lying or upright position as needed, without the user having to perform any essential manual actions to release the individual components, which in turn guarantees the easy handling of the golf bag.
The bottom part of the golf bag according to the present may comprise a low-weight, wear-resistant and dimensionally stable one-piece container. This leads to a low weight of the golf bag despite all the techniques available in the area of golf bags and despite the versatile use of the golf bag. The shaping of the bottom part with a base designed in a stepped manner to the longitudinal axis of the golf bag and with wheel cases integrated into the jacket surface creates the conditions for the wheels being essentially covered and protected by the wheel cases and for the tiltability of the bottom part being guaranteed. Even though the wheels project beyond the jacket surface in the case of a jacket surface made in one piece cylindrically without wheel cases, the bottom part of the golf bag can thus be manufactured in an even more inexpensive design. The base of the bottom part may also be beveled in order to make it possible to arrange beside the wheels other support devices, even prior-art ones, with a tilting bottom and support legs, in which the support legs can be released by the tilting bottom.
Furthermore, the fixing points arranged on the inner base of the bottom part guarantee the fastening of lightweight longitudinal webs and their guiding within the cylinder part to connect the bottom part to the head part of the golf bag, and the mounting openings arranged on the jacket surface of the bottom part support the detachable screw connection of the bottom part to the cylinder part.
An arrangement of low-wear off-road wheels with low liability to malfunction is of great advantage. If necessary, the wheels may be fastened to the bottom part by means of a continuous, non-co-rotating axle or floating axles such that their wheel axles extend next to the bottom part in the case of a cylindrical bottom part or are essentially covered and protected by the wheel cases in the case of integrated wheel cases. This offers the advantage that one cannot be caught by the wheels either during rolling or carrying on the shoulder or on the back because they are integrated within the jacket surface of the entire golf bag nearly seamlessly and form a flat unit with the golf bag. Moreover, the eccentric arrangement of the wheel axles relative to the base of the bottom part makes it possible to tilt the golf bag during rolling and to put it down vertically in a stable manner with a three-point bearing despite the tiltability with the base bent in a stepped manner along with the support foot made in one piece with the outer base. Besides the wheels, a beveled base makes possible the arrangement of other, even prior-art support devices with tilting bottom and support legs in which the support legs can be released by the tilting bottom, but this does not guarantee vertical stability.
Also advantageous is the provision of a cylinder part of the golf bag which essentially consists of a flexible material and can be detachably connected to the bottom part and the head part by mounting openings arranged on the open front sides by means of fastening elements such as screws and threaded sleeves, where the cylinder part covers the head part at the same time. The inner outfitting of the cylinder part with coaxial stabilizing strips and loops makes possible the loose guiding of longitudinal webs to stabilize the cylinder part and the distribution of the acting forces during transport of the filled golf bag by the belt among the longitudinal webs. The belt system arranged on the outer jacket surface, which is hung on rings arranged at selectably spaced locations on the cylinder part, on the one hand, and on a toggle lever mechanism arranged at the head part for a support device, on the other hand, makes it possible to carry the golf bag on the shoulder or on the back and to automatically fold in the opened support feet of the support device.
In addition, longitudinal webs which stabilize the cylinder part and essentially consist of a light-weight hollow section, guarantee the lightweight connection of all components of the golf bag from the bottom part to the head part over the cylinder part. One of the longitudinal webs is reinforced by an additional inner tube in order to make allowance for the load requirements imposed by the weight of the golf bag, especially when filled. In addition, the reinforced longitudinal web makes it possible to hold and guide the pull-out grip.
Furthermore, the head part of the golf bag according to the present invention may be a closed material band which is lightweight in itself and is equipped with a mounting surface on its outer jacket surface and with a bracket on the opposite side for the support legs, which are directed toward the bottom part axially to the longitudinal axis of the golf bag. This head part guarantees the connection to the cylinder part and to the bottom part via the stabilizing longitudinal webs, to the pull-out grip and to the support device. The mounting surface and the bracket on the head part make it possible, on the one hand, to arrange the toggle lever mechanism or another mechanism and the clamping system of the support device and its handling as well as of the stabilizing webs. On the other hand, the mounting surface makes possible a stable connection to the reinforced longitudinal web from the bottom part to the head part and the arrangement and the handling of the pull-out grip with the double tube system. The mounting openings present in addition to this on the band material make it possible to cover the head part with the cylinder part and to detachably connect same to the head part by means of fastening elements such as screws or snap fasteners. The essential advantage of this head part design is its high level of functionality in conjunction with a low weight.
The webs arranged horizontally in the head part to stabilize the material band and to protect the clamping system, especially in the case of a load caused by the toggle lever mechanism of the support device, should be pointed out in particular. These webs may be arranged such that they horizontally form a triangular hollow space open on all sides. This hollow space makes it possible to accommodate the clamping system of the support device and ensures its trouble-free function. In addition, the webs, including the clamping system, can be closed by a piece of material such that reaching into the clamping system with the hand or destruction of the clamping system due to the penetration of foreign objects is ruled out.
Additional webs may be arranged in the head part at right angles to the stabilizing webs to form compartments for the separate storage of the golf clubs in the golf bag and support the simple handling of the bag by easy removal or introduction of the golf clubs during the game. In addition, the screws may be used to mount them on the band material of the head part make it possible to accommodate snap fasteners for the detachable fastening of a closing hood after the end of the game.
The functionality of the golf bag according to the present invention is supported especially advantageously by a grip, which may be a pull-out grip. This grip is arranged on the mounting surface of the head part by means of a double tube system and guided on the reinforced longitudinal web such that the grip can be pulled out beyond the center of gravity of the golf clubs being stored in the golf bag during the rolling of the golf bag, as a result of which a considerable reduction in weight is guaranteed for the user. In addition, the double tube system prevents the grip from being pulled completely out of its mount and especially from being jammed during the pushing in of the grip. In addition, the grip holder sloped in relation to the longitudinal axis of the golf bag facilitates handling. The belt system is also advantageous. The optional possibility of fastening to the rings on the cylinder part, which rings are arranged at different distances, on the one hand, and to the toggle lever mechanism of the support device, on the other hand, makes it possible to lift the golf bag with the belt system with the folded-out support feet of the support device folded in automatically at the same time. As a result of this undisturbed carrying of the golf bag on the shoulder or on the back is guaranteed without additional actions on the part of the player.
Finally, the simple lightweight design as well as the materials used and the nondestructively detachable connections between the individual components of the golf bag, as well as the combination of the various possibilities of handling, such as rolling, supporting in a sloped position, standing up vertically and carrying on the back or on the shoulder and easy handling, make possible the easy and compact transport, which may also be versatile as needed, during a change in place as well as during storage and, due to the detachable connections, the repair of the golf bag.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.